Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: OK, before you all wish for bad things to happen to me, I know I promised a new chapter by Monday and today is not Monday (it's close, right?) but for some reason, this chapter just wasn't going smoothly for me. It figures that I would set a deadline and then get writer's block. So, I apologize for the delay…we can still be friends right? backs away slowly, looking for a place to hide.

I also want to thank everyone for the great reviews! Chapter 5 received the most reviews so far! does review dance! Have I mentioned how much I love reviews? They really do make the whole writing thing worth while. I received requests for both more torture (especially of Legolas grins evilly and less torture. Let me say right now that this story will definitely have some more character torture (some of you cheer, the others groan) but its not just random, pointless torture for the sake of torture. It really is important for the story. These guys are prisoners of the Orcs and we all know those guys don't treat their prisoners all that well. Not to mention they will be prisoners of Saruman (whoops, did I just give that away? Oh well, I've already made that clear in the story summary…) Saruman wants to know where the Ring is…one of our characters knows where it is and won't tell…do you see where I'm going with this? Anyway, just warning you non-torture lovers now…more is on the way. And now back to the story…

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Chapter Six

Eomer looked around the camp in shock as Orcs poured into it from all sides, arrows flying and swords drawn. He felt a momentary surge of panic at having led his men into an ambush, but he quickly squelched the feeling, drawing his own sword as he finished releasing the prisoner.

"They have you surrounded." The man yelled, looking around wildly. "Call for a retreat!"

"We will not retreat!" Eomer shouted back, dodging an arrow that whizzed by a little too closely to his head. "We can still win this battle!" He took a step away, preparing to enter the fray, when he felt a searing hot pain envelop his entire body. He heard the other man shout, saw the look of horror on his bruised and bloodied face, and numbly looked down towards his midsection. Surprised, he realized a spear had disappeared in his stomach, the back end sticking out quite far. Reaching around, Eomer realized that the other end had made its way out his back, also sticking out quite far.

'This will make it hard to fight.' his confused mind offered up the thought, not realizing its true predicament. Feeling a little dizzy, Eomer allowed himself to sink to the ground as the other man knelt beside him. He found it a little hard to breathe as he knelt there, his mind absently taking in the developing battle around him. The cries and screams seemed foreign to him as his breathing became more ragged and a black haze evolved in front of his eyes, blocking out the disturbing scenes around him. Eomer suddenly found himself to be quite sleepy as the pain subsided and he was mildly shocked when the ground rushed up to meet his face, the cool earth welcomed against his warm skin. A cool breeze blew against him, the smell of wild flowers drifting against his nostrils and he breathed in deeply, reveling in the sweet aroma. He was in the fields of Rohan, near Edoras, his home, he could see the town set out gracefully atop the large mountain and he hurried joyfully towards it, suddenly desiring to see his sister Eowyn once more…for some reason he felt she would be quite sad…

* * * * * * * * * *

Aragorn knelt beside the Rohan man who had freed him, keeping him company in his final minutes as he lay on the ground, a vicious looking spear impaling him. Reaching down, he closed the now dead man's eyelids before gazing upon the massacre before him. The Orcs had completely taken the Rohan men by surprise, their arrogance becoming their downfall, as they had blindly ridden into the camp so sure of their victory. No riders had been left at the outskirts, a battle tactic Aragorn knew to be the norm, leaving all riders trapped within the dangerous confines of the camp. Mens' screams filled the night air as arrows and swords connected soundly with their targets, propelling men from their horses, the Orcs setting upon them at once to complete the task. Realizing that the men had no chance of defeating the Orcs, Aragorn grabbed the sword of the fallen man next to him and carefully made his way to the opposite end of the camp, where his comrades were bound. Staying near the edge of the camp, he managed to avoid the battle completely, coming up quickly on the others as they watched the battle unfold with wide eyes. Legolas was the first to spot him, his elven eyes as always sharp.

"Aragorn!" he whispered, sorrow evident in his voice. "This goes very badly for the riders. They will not survive."

"I am afraid not, my friend." Aragorn agreed, using his newly acquired sword to cut the binds that held his friends. "But fate has given us a badly needed distraction and we will take it."

"Then we must hurry." Boromir said, jumping to his feet. "Few riders remain to distract the Orcs." Aragorn looked towards the battle. As Boromir had observed, only a scattering of men remained standing and they were being quickly cut down by the vast Orc army.

"Be quick and stay down." Aragorn advised as they moved away from the camp, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli each stopping briefly to pick up a discarded sword. They had not made it far when they heard a loud growling cheer erupt from the camp and their need for escape suddenly grew. The Orcs had won the battle…their distraction was no more.

"Quickly!" Aragorn whispered, picking up the pace. They heard a warning go up in the camp as their captors realized they were gone and took up pursuit…the loud footfalls of their hunters filled their ears as they hurried. Legolas could see the forest as they neared it, its dark recesses offering them their only chance to avoid the group that chased them. A sudden muffled cry perked at his ears and made him slow. The gruff voice that followed stopped him in his tracks.

"I will kill him!" The voice threatened, its owner familiar. Ugluk held a dejected looking Pippin in his grasp, a jagged dagger threatening his throat. Pippin shrank back away from the threat, only to have it jabbed even more purposefully against his skin. His eyes shone with fear as he watched his friends come to a halt and turn to look at them.

"Not before I kill you!" Aragorn growled, his sword raised. He moved towards the Orc leader as an arrow hissed through the air, landing meaningfully at Gimli's feet. Trion notched another arrow to his bow, holding it at the ready.

"And your friend would die before you could take another step." He jeered, his bow aimed at the dwarf.

"We have a standoff." Ugluk said, the tip of his lethal dagger digging dangerously into Pippin's throat, eliciting a small drop of blood and a whimper from the small hobbit. "You cannot win this battle. Lower your weapons."

The fellowship looked at each other, despair evident on their faces. They had come so close to freedom to see it all end now. Trion saw their indecision and let loose another arrow, this one finding its mark in Gimli's leg, causing the dwarf to cry out in pain.

"Gimli!" Legolas cried, his sword raised to protect his friend.

"One more step, Elf, and the next one goes through his heart." Trion warned, notching another arrow to emphasize his point.

"I said, lower your weapons." Ugluk growled. "Or this halfling and the dwarf will die. We will not let you leave."

"You bluff." Aragorn said. "They may know the location of the Ring."

"An issue we will deal with later. Lower your weapons."

"Do not concern yourselves with me, lads." Gimli said through clenched teeth as he ripped the arrow from his thigh.

"Ai, but we must my friend." Legolas sighed, his sword falling to the ground. Aragorn and Boromir followed suite as the fellowship was rushed by Orcs. Large hands secured them as they made their slow, defeated walk back to camp.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sam and Frodo had journeyed much more slowly than they had thought. They had followed after the Rohan riders as swiftly as Bill could carry them, but when the sun had set they still had not rendezvoused with the men. Setting up their own camp for the night, they desperately preyed that their friends were free of the Orcs and enjoying the safety of the Rohan camp.

The morning found them too quickly, for neither had gotten much rest as they worried about their companions. They packed and set out before the sun had fully risen over the distant horizon, eager to catch up to the other riders. By late morning the two were nearing a large forest and it was then that Bill began to get agitated.

"Easy Bill." Sam said, soothing the pony for what seemed the dozenth time. It was becoming harder with each step the pony took to placate the animal. "What do you suppose is wrong with him?" Sam asked as Bill began to whinny.

"I do not know Sam. Perhaps he senses a danger that we do not. It makes me nervous to see him so frightened…this place feels evil to me."

"That forest looks evil." Sam said, a small shiver running through him. "Perhaps we should ride as far away from it as possible.

They continued to ride for some time, Bill's growing nervousness only causing their own apprehension to grow.

"Frodo, look." Sam said, spotting a lone horse as it galloped towards them, rider-less and seemingly in a panic. It headed straight for them, passing so closely to the already spooked pony that Bill reered up, bucking the two hobbits painfully to the ground.

"Bill!" Sam managed a pained grunt, but the pony bolted, heading straight for the forest they had just passed.

"Not the forest." Frodo moaned as he watched the pony disappear.

"We have to go after him, Mister Frodo." Sam cried, jumping to his feet to chase after the errant animal.

"We will Sam." Frodo assured him quickly, "but first, did you notice something strange about that horse?"

Sam, looking rather impatient at not being able to follow Bill, gave the question a moment's thought. "It looked like the type of horse those riders rode upon. Weird that it had no rider."

"It also had blood on its flank, from an arrow by the looks of it." Frodo told him.

Sam stared at Frodo, momentarily forgetting about Bill. "From a battle, do you think?"

Frodo nodded. "That is my guess. They must have caught up with the Orc army last night…and nearby. If we hurry, perhaps we can meet up with them."

"And reunite with Aragorn and the others." Sam cried happily.

"The horse came from that scattering of trees over there. The rider camp, I would imagine. Let's meet them and then we will find Bill, with their help." They headed for the trees, breaking into a run as soon as they were near.

"Hello?" Frodo called his greeting. "Rohan riders, it is the hobbits of the Shire!" No answer greeted them, so Frodo tried again as he entered the camp. "Hello? Rohan ri…" his voice trailed off and he faltered to a stop as he surveyed the camp in horror.

"Mister Frodo?" Sam whispered as he ran up beside him, his face pale and his eyes fearful. "What happened?"

"They lost, Sam." Frodo answered in shock, looking at the remains of the Rohan riders. The bodies of men were scattered about the camp, sprawled about as if in sleep, their bodies littered with arrow and sword wounds.

"There were no survivors." Frodo realized, bile collecting at the back of his throat. "The Orcs slaughtered them all." The two stood in silence, offering what respect they could in the silent, makeshift graveyard.

"But what of our friends?" Sam asked finally.

"We will have to search the bodies for them, I am afraid. Let us look quickly for I fear what we will find." They walked through the clearing together, stopping briefly at each body to examine the face. They rested the longest at Eomer's body, sad to discover the kind man dead.

"We should bury him." Sam suggested.

"We should bury them all, but time does not permit us the opportunity. Our friends are not among the dead, they remain at the mercy of the retched Orcs."

Sam looked sadly around the camp. "What do we do now?"

"We retrieve Bill and continue our pursuit. Their lead grows ever more and Isengard is but a day away."

"Then we must go to the forest, for that is where Bill ran."

"Other than right here, the forest is the last place I wish to go. It hides something mysterious. Why could Bill have not panicked out in the open?" Frodo groaned.

"Come Mister Frodo. Perhaps he hides at the edge and will come out when we call." Sam said, trying his best to sound optimistic, despite the worry growing in his heart.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Gimli." Legolas whispered to his friend. "How is your leg?" He had noticed the Dwarf's limp becoming steadily worse over the day's long travels. The Orcs were pushing them on relentlessly, obviously intending to reach the safety of Isengard before the day's end.

"It is well, Master Elf." Gimli responded through clenched teeth, leaving Legolas no doubt that the leg was less than fine.

"Poisoned arrow tip." Aragorn whispered to Legolas, worry in his voice. "The wound will become infected before long. Watch for kingsfoil. By any means, get some if you see it."

"No talking." Ugluk yelled from the head of the group. His army was slightly smaller than before, a result of the previous night's battle, and the Orc leader was on edge.

"Yes, your lordship." Legolas smirked, managing a sarcastic salute. "Our pardon, Master."

Aragorn stifled a smile as the large Orc turned to glare at the Elf. "You will be dealt with in Isengard." he growled before continuing on.

"Well, we have free reign until then." Legolas grinned. "I had better use my reserve of sarcastic comments before then." To his right, Boromir suddenly tripped, falling heavily to the ground.

"Get up!" An Orc near him yelled, hauling the man roughly to his feet. Boromir smiled meekly at his friends as the Orc stomped off. "Kingsfoil." he said, hiding the plant in his tunic.

"Bless your eyes, Boromir." Aragorn said gladly. "Gimli's wound will heal well with the help of that plant."

"Ai," the dwarf grumbled, "but this walking is still hell."

"I am afraid that you will not have to walk much further." Legolas said suddenly, squinting into the sun. "The tower of Orthanc is in view. We have come to Isengard."

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A/N: Yes, I know, another cliffy, but the next chapter should be very long and I had to end this one somewhere. Don't worry, I will definitely update this weekend…for real this time…I promise… grins We're still friends, right?

As always, please be kind and leave a review.